Segun Oluwaniyi

I have several thousand posts and only 10-15 more minutes of time on this break. You'll want to be significantly more specific. It is an interesting point, Optimistic, but I think that having a lazy/selfish non-athlete will hurt our fluency and brilliant work ethic more than anything, and he is generally a player I do not want in our colours. I understand where you are coming from, but I vehemently disagree with you conclusions.

He's just averaged over 1 in 2 games in one of the shittest teams I've seen in the Premier League for ages. Football is not all about statistics, Nut. Jonas Gutierrez's record is poor by all traditional statistical analysis, but those with a good understanding of the game can watch him and see what he provides to the side. Similarly Craig Gardner (even Andy Johnson in the past) had a great record (for a midfielder) in a relegation side, but when you actually sit and watch him play, you realise that he is detrimental to the team in every other way. We are a good enough side not to accommodate players like this.

Anyone who thinks Aiyegbeni is a good fit for this club, any other club, or a national team is clearly somewhat disturbed. He is fat, lazy, and a mercenary whose sole focus is money. He will bundle the ball in with his massive arse every few games, but provide absolutely nothing else to the side. There was a time during the middle part of last decade, when he was genuinely a good footballer, but then he became pregnant. Now he is only good for teams that think they might be relegated and need goals at any cost to the rest of the side.

Yes it was their original Asian billionaire, who is now a fugitive from the government in his own country.

I know they all weren't him but some of those shows exactly why Mark Hughes wasn't cut out for that job. Do you think Hughes had a great degree of control over who was brought in? Outside of Torres and Wright Phillips, none of these fees seem particularly high for the players at the point in time they were point. It is more the quantity of the purchases (especially with Chelsea and their crazy youth experiment) and the wages being handed out.

I think they're undervalued if anything. It is hard to quantify, but in the majority of matches I watch the goalkeeper has little to no effect on the outcome of the match and the vast majority of attempts on goal are ones that would be saved by almost every keeper or ones that are unlikely to be saved by anyone. I do think the keeper is underrated in terms of his role in distribution and aerial control of the box, but the shot-stopping aspect (and even the role of mistakes, which all keepers seems to make) seems overly valued, imo, without much separation once you reach the top tier professional leagues. In general, most teams have five or six players more useful in preventing goals than the keeper.

I believe that difference between goalkeepers at the top level is smaller than any other position. It is not a position I would spend massive amounts to replace.

Does England produce many "advanced midfielders", though? Outside of bringing Johnson or Cole into the squad, I don't know what other attacking options you are talking about. That's what I mean. I said we don't produce them. We play in straight lines and as such the players we produce fall into that. I still think England's personnel is most suited to a fairly defensive 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1 like we played for large periods of last season. Another problem outside of the attacking players is that England don't produce true holding midfielders in the mold of the African destroyer or the southern European deep lying playmakers. Before his misfortune, I often suggested Muamba as a player for England. In this era, in which midfielders are separated into clearly attacking or defensive roles, you don't have many players. Cleverly and Wilshere may help fulfill the roles further forward, but it is worrying that both of them have been injured on such a consistent basis throughout their careers.

Viduka for Sibierski/Dyer. Enrique for Baba?

Does England produce many "advanced midfielders", though? Outside of bringing Johnson or Cole into the squad, I don't know what other attacking options you are talking about.

Everything about this report is false, in my opinion. I cannot see Arsenal paying anywhere near the price necessary to take Llorente from Athletic, and even if they could, I think one of the bigger spenders would at least match the offer. A number of clubs are surely tracking him, and I doubt he is particularly set on Arsenal or England in general.

Without Remy, the French forward play is lacking just as much as the English.

No.

So 40k a week for 15 years isnt enough? jog on Smith could have easily took a paycut and continued his career at a decent level but he is a leech who is only in it for the money and basically gave up on a possibly decent career so he can leech us for 60k every week. A 33 percent decrease in income is hard to take for anyone. This should be common sense. It means he will have to spend less (which may be difficult with the many obligations modern athletes may have) and more importantly it means he saves less for the long, long life after football. All the people I highlighted positively impacted the club for extended periods of time. Smith's presence has been nothing but detrimental. All the "gutless wankbags" were paid similar or less than Smith and managed to be at least decent players for us, yet they are the ones you hate? Yes i hate those, because as soon as the going got tough they disappeared, Smith didn't and as for being detrimental, find a player, manager or coach who thinks that. Like i said before i'm glad he is going, he simply isn't good enough and never was but as least he tried, not saying much with his limited ability but he tried all the same. They left "when the going got tough" because they were acceptable level footballers and other clubs were willing to employ them and pay them. Smith stayed here when things were tough (they weren't for him) because he knew the contract given to him under Allardyce was the last lucrative one he would be signing in football.

Twenty thousands a week is a large amount of money for footballers, man, and just about anyone. They are not international billionaire people. They have 12-15 year careers and live cheque to cheque in a way similar to most people. They aren't wealthy to the point that such large sums of money do not matter.

All the people I highlighted positively impacted the club for extended periods of time. Smith's presence has been nothing but detrimental. All the "gutless wankbags" were paid similar or less than Smith and managed to be at least decent players for us, yet they are the ones you hate?

Football's bans for violence are excessive in general in my opinion. Unless you intentionally injure someone or have an actual brawl on the pitch, there is no need for suspensions to be more than a few matches. The idea where violent conduct is automatically three matches is mad as well.

The French hype is odd to me. The team hasn't gotten out of its group in the last two major tournaments and has performed at a very average level throughout qualifiers. They have a ridiculous amount of talent as always, but there is no evidence of them making things work as a cohesive side, which is clearly the most important thing in international football.

I actually enjoyed 07/08 much less than 06/07. The 2007 season had some real high points, imo, especially the European exploits and some very good result and interesting games against good sides. Every one knew the team was terrible. Don't forget when Oba had deadleg in his debut, there was the very real possibility of us simply not having a striker for half the season. We persevered because that's all we had the capability of doing. The 2008 one was depressing throughout. I know Keegan had 4/5 good results at the end that makes people forget how dismal things throughout the cold season. KK was appointed and then failed to win a game for two months. We really looked like relegation.

Despite the injury, Simpson is 25 and plays for a club that is not highly regarded. Kelly is seen as a prospect who needs international experience. Micah clearly had sex with someone's daughter and/or wife.

I think Torres has far more skill and technical ability than Owen to be honest with you. His problems are actually similar to the ones Owen had in that he has returned from some injury problems completely lacking in aggressiveness and confidence. Frankly, I believe he is faster than all of our strikers, but you would never know it because he is unwilling to try things and attack defenders the way he used to. I wouldn't want him here for simply financial reasons, but I think he would still be a top quality player if he ever regained his mental attributes. He is not a lost cost like Owen after his knee exploded. Has he been playing outwide? I thought he was mostly competition for Drogba and Ramires/Kalou were the ones outwide. I haven't seen too many of their league matches to be fair, though.

Manchester United "fans" that cry about City and Chelsea winning things by spending large amounts of money. It makes me want to break someone's foot.

Notice I said follow instead of support. If you expose yourself to other things, you will naturally be inclined to pick one club in a competition that is your preference. Marseille came to me because someone gave me a shirt when I was younger that I wore once a week. To be quite honest with you, the only team I actually support is Nigeria because that is what brings the most emotion out of me. I am thoroughly invested in the fates of the the three clubs sides I call my own, but it is not the same as with the SE, and it is not the same as Europeans who have come up around their clubs.

You've forgotten what happened the seven years prior? In all honesty the league has always been extremely competitive, even then. The biggest game in Dijon's history today, and Rennes completely eviscerated them, 5-0. They are going down along with Caen.

Utaka at the double to win Montpellier the title? The revitilisation of his career this past season has been one of the more absurd things I can remember. He was unbelievably terrible in England and for his country the past four or five seasons. Also, obvious congratulations to Montpellier. They've fully deserved it and I thank them for keeping out of Paris for another year.